Iran scrapped its vow to stop enriching uranium close to levels needed for nuclear weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the country is capable of increasing its stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Last month, the IAEA announced Iran had made a pledge to rein in its enrichment, which Bloomberg reported could be seen as potential breakthrough in diplomatic relations with the country.
But days later, European countries and the U.S. passed an IAEA resolution that censured Iran and threatened to send the country back to the UN Security Council for sanctions, Bloomberg reported.
Iran began enriching uranium at up to 60% levels in 2021. The material could be quickly upgraded to 90% used in nuclear weapons, Bloomberg said. Iran has maintained its nuclear development program is for energy purposes.
Iran has sufficient material to fuel a handful of warheads, should it make the decision to move toward nuclear weapons, Bloomberg reported.
President-elect Donald Trump implemented a hardline stance against Iran during his first term, including withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement and imposing severe economic sanctions.
Grossi said all sides need to peacefully defuse tensions around Iran's nuclear program.
"We have to go the diplomatic way," Grossi said. "Otherwise, it's a disaster."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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